


(i promise) every road leads to home

by WriterWinged



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Family Dynamics, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, fuck what do you put here, god!AU, no beta we just die, no you cannot bribe me to make a sequel for this one, shit just tell me what I should tag this, yes I am working on the other one, yes another one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27772441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterWinged/pseuds/WriterWinged
Summary: There are many gods in the world and many more god-blooded. And yet some are vanishing, stolen away by an unknown group. Tubbo knows this, it’s why he was sent away by his father, the Captain, Sea. It doesn’t matter to him, as the town he calls home has had it’s fair share of secrets. Including his best friend, Tee.Tee, who was saved. Tee, who has no memories and no voice. Tee, who doesn’t remember being safe. Tee, whose past is racing to catch him.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Floris | Fundy & Niki | Nihachu, Floris | Fundy & TommyInnit, Jordan Maron & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 20
Kudos: 291





	(i promise) every road leads to home

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this over three days and 3/4th was written today.
> 
> i can't be bribed to continue this (in this year, try next year or whenever the world stops punching us in the face)
> 
> tumblr: https://writerwinged.tumblr.com/

Once upon a time, there were a great many gods of a great many things. Some had resided since the dawn of time, others arose from mortals and their ideas, the last of them were born. Of the many gods, there was one who was arguably the eldest of them all, whose influence was vast and varied, titles too many to count. He was known to the mortal races as Death, as the End Of All Things. He would be the one to outlive all but the universe itself, and should he die, then so would it.

Death was, for a long time, alone, even among his godly peers, for he was the symbol of their ever-encroaching death. As thus, Death spent much time among the mortal races, ushering life, for he was wise enough to understand that all things died in time, that no matter how hard you fought, he would claim you, in time.

It is here that Death found the first of his sons, amongst the mortals as he wandered from place to place.

———

“Hi Niki!” the brunet teen called out as he entered the bakery the young woman called home.

“Hello Tubbo!” the dirty blond called from behind the counter, the only light coming from the lanterns spread throughout the bakery, the sun barely risen, “You’re here early. Is something wrong?”

The brunet took a seat, his face having a wary expression, “Well, you know how that caravan came through last night and had to stop to fix some of the carts? Dream thinks that there’s something up with them and wants me to keep out of sight as much as possible, so I figured I could help you and Fundy out!”

The baker stopped, her head turning to look at the teen behind her, a soft smile on her face, “Of course you can! Fundy’s in back preping some of the other items, so you can go back there and help him.”

“Thanks Niki!” the boy beamed, darting into the back of the bakery with a cry of, “Fundy!” and answered by another welcoming cry too muffled to make out. Niki laughed, shaking her head and returning to kneading the dough in front of her.

Her smile slipped from her face as she considered what Tubbo had told her about Dream’s suspicions. He’d always been wary of travelers, but he’d felt the need to warn Tubbo to stay hidden. There was a very limited number of people who would want to mess with Tubbo’s father.

But, if they were smart enough, sly enough, then the Captain would never know until it was too late, like with- She cut that line of thought before she could tempt fate anymore then she already had.

The sun was rising over the waves slowly, the light illuminating the docks and the bakery. The bell over the door jingled softly as someone came in, Niki distractedly telling them over her shoulder that she’d be there in a moment. She turned around, wiping dough from her hands with a bright smile.

“Hello, welcome to Niki’s Bakery! What can I get you?” her eyes were soft as she took in the sight of the blond teenager, unfamiliar to her. His blue eyes darted up to look at her before returning to the floor and offering her a piece of paper.

She took it, noticing that it was a list of items that her bakery had in stock and ready, except for one, “Ah, the cinnamon rolls won’t be ready for a few more minutes, if you don’t mind waiting?” The boy nodded and she carefully started getting the rest ready, “Ah, which of these are for you, so you can have it now.”

The teen’s eyes widened and he shook his head no rapidly, backing up and raising his hands. Niki paused, something like worry curling heavily in her gut, “Are… are not getting anything?” The boy nodded quickly, eyes not leaving the floor. Niki’s lips pursed at that and she quickly grabbed another plain donut and offered it to the boy, “Here! On the house, since everyone needs breakfast!”

The blond’s eyes darted up to her hand and the donut in hand before turning to face her with a surprised look on his face. Her smile didn’t change, even as the worry in her gut grew stronger. He took it carefully and retreated to one of tables, hunched over the food like someone was going to steal it away.

By the time the cinnamon rolls were done, he had finished the donut and there was something brighter in his eyes. Her eyes didn’t stray from the door, even after he left, until Fundy came up beside her, Tubbo putting the rest of their stock out.

“He came with the caravan last night. I barely noticed him and I was making sure to count them.”

“Do you think this has something to do with Dream’s decision?”

“Since he was surprised to hear about the kid, I would bet that it has everything to do with it.” They fell silent, not even Tubbo daring to speak for a long moment.

“He felt like me and Tubbo.”

———

Death’s first son was a small thing, in a too-big sweater and carrying a too-heavy guitar. His brown hair flopped over one eye, only held back by a ragged beanie. Death found him in the middle of the town, playing a song on his guitar as the townspeople danced around him.

“Hello there mate. You look a little lost.” Death said calmly, watching the whirling figures of the townsfolk as they danced and danced. The boy said nothing, his song taking on a melancholy tone and the dance slowing down to a soft waltz.

“I see. I’m passing through and happened upon your performance. Would you like to come with me?” Death asked, the music stuttering to a stop at his words. The boy snapped to look up at Death, his mouth falling open in shock and his eyes as wide as dinner plates. Death ignored the townsfolk falling to their knees, all attention focused on the boy beside him.

“Yes, please.” The boy whispered, tears beading at the corner of his eyes. Death smiled and swept the boy and his guitar up in his arms with a whirl of feathers, leaving behind a dead town.

And so Death finds Music, the first of his sons.

———

The blond boy becomes a familiar sight to Niki, as winter sets in with a snowstorm that the caravan was trying to outpace, forcing them to stay in town until the winter lessens. The worry never went away, only growing worse as she found that practically no one else had even seen him.

Every bit of Dream’s posture screamed that was enraged when Niki told him about the boy, only George and Sapnap’s combined restraint preventing him storming over to the caravan. As the days passed, the town watched for the boy with wary eyes, wondering just what was happening.

So focused on the mystery boy, the residents missed when Tubbo began to vanish for periods of time. The two boys had run across each other in the forests surrounding the town and had become fast friends, even with their individual warnings echoing in their minds.

Perhaps, if they hadn’t, then things would never had changed. Perhaps, the blond would have been used time and time again as bait and hunter alike. Perhaps, the brunet would have simply been. Perhaps, they would never have visited.

But this isn’t a story of perhaps and may-have-beens, of possibilities and could-bes. This is a story of ares and wases, of weres and will bes. And in this story, a blond boy stolen from his home met a brunet boy that was forced from his.

And because of that, things changed and shifted for the blond boy. Tubbo couldn’t, and wouldn’t, keep his mouth shut when the winter was quelled and lessened and the blond boy began to dread the end of the day. So, he told Dream, the week before the caravan was to set out, about what he had learned.

And Dream was enraged at what he heard, but he had been angry for a long time now. So, instead of lashing out and acting rashly, he plotted and planned in the way he did best. He enlisted the help of his friends and together they weaved a disguise that would make the travelers think that the blond boy was with them, when in fact, he had never left the town.

And so it went, the blond smuggled away by the town, the caravan leaving with no clue of the deception. And the town settled back into it’s peaceful life with the addition of a blond boy racing through the streets.

———

And so Death was accompanied by Music in his travels, going from place to place, leaving them either empty and silent or bursting and full of cheer. But it was not at one of these towns that Death found his second son. No, rather it was on a field of battle, one between a Pillager raiding party and a Piglin horde passing through the overworld.

The land was covered in bodies, most belonging to the Pillagers, but still Death could see several Piglins lying dead, sightless eyes gazing out. It was not, however, any of the bodies that caught Death’s attention, but rather the only standing form.

There, in the center of the battlefield, was a piglin child wearing a too-big crown and wielding a too-big sword, much like Music had. His red eyes looked at Death blankly, nothing within them. Death looked back, seeing the godling for what he was.

No words were exchanged, no deal struck, but War followed Death as he traveled, Music growing close to him in no time.

———

“Big T!” Tubbo called out as he entered Niki’s Bakery, eager to see his best friend. The blond poked his head out from the back, a grin splitting his face once he saw the brunet. Niki laughed, already shooing the young boy from the back and encouraging him to go have fun.

“Be safe, both of you!” she called, her face alight with a soft smile.

“We will, Niki! Come on, Tee.” The two boys raced down the docks and into the city proper, the residents calling out hellos as they passed by. Here, in the height of summer, over a year since the blond had been saved, they were the safest they’d ever been.

“Hi Eret!” Tubbo called out as he approached the head guard, his covered eyes turning to face the two with a smile on his face.

“Hello Tubbo, Tee. I see you two didn’t forget,” his deep voice was laced with amusement, the other guards laughing softly in the background. Tee bristled, his hands flying a mile a minute as he yelled at him.

“Of course not! This is too exciting and we’ve been waiting forever!” Tubbo exclaimed, ignoring his friend’s rapid yelling as it dissolved into nonsense and flailing arm movements. Eret laughed, shaking his head and gesturing the two to follow him.

“Alright then. You two do remember the rules Dream laid out for you to join us?”

“Don’t leave the group, if you get lost head back to base, don’t tempt fate, yadda yadda.” Tee signed, rolling his eyes. Tubbo snickered, hiding his mouth behind a hand as Eret barked out a laugh.

“Essentially, yes. If he asks, you both recited the full rule list when I asked.” Tee fist-pumped, a soundless shout of joy escaping his mouth. The small group finally reached their final destination and Eret pushed open the door, voices washing over the two boys.

“- saw what looked to be a former follower of War in the area, so be careful. You know how they are now-a-days.” Sapnap’s voice had a worried tone in it as he spoke to Dream. Tee and Tubbo looked at each other, already dreading the words that were going to be said in just a moment.

“Good thing the two of you are going to be in the exact opposite direction then.” Dream said dryly, cutting off the boys’ thoughts. They gaped at him for a moment as what he said registered.

“Really!?” Tubbo yelped, bouncing on the balls of his feet, “You aren’t going to make us wait?” Dream snorted, shaking his head as he turned to look at the two.

“No, since if we waited any longer, the two of you would end up doing something stupid, again. Like going after the follower.”

“One time! We did that one time and no one will let it go!” Tee signed angrily, face set in a scowl.

“You nearly died.” Dream said flatly, an unimpressed expression on his face. The boys winced, unable to argue about that point, “Regardless, we’ve been keeping an eye on him for a while to make sure that he didn’t wander into your training.”

“So, we’re free to go?”

“Yep. They’re all yours, Eret. Welcome to your first day as a guard.”

———

“Hey, Eret? What did Dream by, ‘You know how they are now-a-days?’” Tubbo asked as their group trooped through the forest. Eret stayed quiet for a long moment, considering the question as he thought it over.

“That’s right, you probably don’t remember. You know how Death has two sons? Rumor is that he had three once, but the youngest was stolen away by someone that they trusted once. Ever since, War and Music have driven any followers they had mad in an attempt to find their brother.”

“Someone stole a god?” T exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. Eret shook his head, face turning forwards again.

“A godling, if the rumors are true. They hadn’t yet come into their powers or found what niche they reign over. It’s part of the reason your father gave you to us, Tubbo. A lot of godlings and god-blooded were hidden away in the aftermath.”

“Oh.” Tubbo said softly, drawing into himself a little. He had been given to Dream over six years ago now by his father, the Captain, with no explanation. His father still visited as often as he could, but in the recent years the time between visits had grown greater and greater. He hadn’t seen him since before Tee was rescued.

“So now followers of War attack everyone without any hesitation, whether they’re god-blooded or not. War’s rage is great and terrible and they must expel it in whatever way they can.” Eret final word’s had a solemn tone, the weight of their meaning weighing on the two boys, “So if you see a follower of War, run. Run as far and as fast as you can and pray that you manage to lose them.”

The boys shivered, drawing a bit closer to the head guard and glancing around as if expecting someone to leap out at them in that moment. “Good thing we’re going in the opposite direction then.” Tubbo chirped, trying not to let his voice shake and crack.

“Good thing. We’re here. Welcome to the training grounds you two.” Eret pushed aside a branch, revealing a massive clearing. The two boys glanced at each other, massive grins on their faces.

———

“Dream!” The door slammed open, everyone’s head jerking to look up at the new arrivals.

“Bad, Skeppy? What’s wrong?” Dream asked, already moving towards the two exhausted men.

“Did… did Eret already… head out?” Bad gasped out, hand to his chest as he tried to calm his breathing.

“Yeah, a few days ago. Why? What happened?” Dream’s brow furrowed, something in his chest tightening as Bad and Skeppy shared a look, “Guys?” His voice reached a higher pitch, worry clogging his throat.

“The War follower, he’s been on the move. We barely managed to hide in time, but, Dream,” Bad’s white eyes were despairing, “He was heading towards the training grounds.”

It felt like all the air had been sucked from the room as what the half-demon said registered. George dropped the potions in his hands and Sapnap froze at the realization hit him, but that paled in comparison to Dream’s reaction.

“What.” The table cracked under Dream’s grip, the splinters sinking into the gel of his skin.

———

The days passed slowly as Tubbo and Tee were put through their paces at the training grounds. Tee, who once flinched at any sign of violence, took to it like a fish to water, soon excelling at pretty much anything asked of him. Even if half of his success could be attributed to his stubbornness. Eret had, more then once, had to pull him out of the training grounds in the dead of night.

“You might have been trained to fight before.” One of the other guards offered one day after training. Tee considered her words and nodded slowly, something about the words striking a chord in his missing memories.

“Regardless, the both of you have tomorrow off. Rest and recovery is needed and I won’t have you two picking up the same bad habits as Dream.” Eret said sternly, covered eyes focused on the two boys.

“Oh, Tee! I saw a clearing nearby with bees and cows in it! We could check it out tomorrow!” Tubbo gushed, turning to his best friend. Tee brightened instantly, a wide grin on his face, missed training forgotten. The guards laughed at the enthusiasm of the boys.

“Make sure you two are safe, alright? I’m not sure that we’ll be able to get to you quickly if you get in danger, got it?” Eret told the two boys sternly in the morning. They nodded quickly and darted off when Eret waved them away.

At midday, there was a rustling in the bushes near the training ground, drawing the attention of the guards. Hands reached for the hilts of their weapons, only to relax at the familiar sight of the felinaede Antfrost.

“Ant, what’s wrong?” Eret asked, walking towards him. His bright blue eyes darted up around the training grounds, coming to rest on Eret’s covered eyes.

“Where are Tee and Tubbo?”

“Over that way. What’s wrong?” Eret’s voice gained a note of worry as he repeated his question. Ant’s eyes looked at him despairingly, his answer causing Eret to wheel around and run full pelt towards the two boys.

“The follower of War is here.”

———

The midday sun shined down on the clearing, not a cloud in the sky. Curled up next to each other were two boys, blond and brunet, sleeping peacefully in the sunlight among the flowers. Neither moved as a new person stepped out from the shadows of the trees, not aware of the danger slowly approaching.

They slowly approached the two boys, footsteps soft and careful not to disturb the bees or cows in the area. The person came to a stop, looming over the boys and making sure that their shadow didn’t alert them of their watcher. Their eyes were blank and lifeless as they stared down at the sleeping boys, not even a twitch revealing their thoughts.

Slowly, they brought their diamond sword upwards, the light catching on the blade and shining, just for a moment, onto the blond’s face. His nose scrunched up and his head shifted, trying to hide from the light, only to reveal his face. The watcher froze at the sight of his face, something sparking to life in their eyes. The very world itself seemed to hold it’s breath as the sword hung in the air.

The silence was broken by a shout and scream, the two boys jolting awake. They scrambled to their knees, the blond taking in the sight of the looming figure and opened his mouth in a soundless scream. The brunet noticed shortly after, grabbing the blond and dragging him away with him.

All through this, the unknown figure didn’t move except for their eyes, which followed the blond with a almost desperate light. Tee and Tubbo scrambled away, tripping over their feet as it hit them that this person had meant to kill them. Out of the trees came the guards, Eret at the lead. And still, the figure didn’t move.

Eret reached out and grabbed the two boys, pulling them behind him, “Stay out of the way! He won’t hesitate to kill you once he gets going.” He snarled, lips pulled back in a grimace. Antfrost pulled the boys even farther back, almost to the treeline, as the guards ranged out to form a wall. And still, the follower of War didn’t move.

The tension in the air seemed to suffocate the boys as everyone waited for the follower to make the first move. Finally, he began to move jerkily. The sword slowly lowered but his eyes still didn’t move from Tee’s form. He took a step back and then another and another until he whirled around and ran away.

The guards watched him with incredulous expressions, not willing to believe their eyes. No follower of War had ever stopped an attack before, no matter what. Eret didn’t take his eyes off the trees for several minutes, only relaxing when he was sure the follower wasn’t coming back.

“We’re going home, right now.” There was no room for arguments in his tone and the boys were unwilling to do so.

———

In a land of ice and snow, within a castle formed from the land, blood-red eyes snapped open. The owner rose to his feet, ignoring the rotting bodies and blood-soaked halls that were strewn about. He followed the sound of haunting music until he reached the one room untouched by the blood and death that filled the castle.

The two men within looked up at him and, for the first time in years, something like hope shone in their eyes.

———

“No one is allowed to leave the town, no matter what. Understood? We were lucky the first time, there’s no reason to tempt fate.” Dream’s voice rang through the town square, no one daring to oppose his declaration. Not when faced with a follower of War.

Tee and Tubbo stood beside Niki, still in something like shock at how they had managed to get away from the madman before he killed them. Something in Tee’s gut told him, however, that he had chosen to let them live. For what reason, the teen didn’t know.

The end of the summer, in contrast to the start, felt as if everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tension seemed to hold the town hostage, the wait for the follower to snap and slaughter them all sucking all life out. For Tee, it felt like he was back with the caravan, except this time, he wasn’t alone.

Maybe that’s why he did it. He had just gotten used to being safe again, of not having to look over his shoulder at every hour of the day and being able to fight. Maybe that’s why, early in the morning, he grabbed a sword from the armory and went out to confront the follower.

Tee didn’t know if he would be able to win, if he’d even survive the fight, but he was so tired of being scared. This time, he was able to do something about it.

The clearing that the follower spent the most of his time wasn’t hard to find, as Dream did his very best to prevent people from going in that direction specifically. The weak sunlight was his only witness as Tee stepped out of the trees in a mockery of the follower’s actions weeks ago.

The follower was knelt in the center of the clearing, head bent forward and sword in the grass. He didn’t move as Tee stepped closer and closer until he was just out of reach behind him. Finally, as Tee came to a stop, the follower turned his head just enough to fix the teen with one bloodshot eye.

Despite everything, despite every story, every warning, Tee still didn’t feel like he was in danger. He hadn’t been willing to face it the first time, but now he was given no choice but to do so. Not once had he ever felt like the follower was going to hurt him, let alone kill him.

Tee wasn’t sure how long they spent staring at each other, but as his hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, he felt something break. The follower rose to his feet and turned to face Tee, sword hanging in a lose grip. Tee breathed in and lunged.

———

Fundy wasn’t sure what caused him to wake up early that morning, before the sun had really even risen, but he would be thankful that he did. It was the one day he didn’t have to get up early to help out with the bakery, but something pulled him to his feet and towards Tee’s room. He knew that the teen hadn’t slept over at Tubbo’s, he had ushered him to bed himself, so opening the door and seeing an empty room caused his heart to clench.

He tried to convince himself that Tee was simply with Niki in the bakery, but he knew that Tee wouldn’t wake up early on his day off. Despite everything, the boy knew how important it was to relax and take a day to yourself. Still, he held onto that hope as walked downstairs and looked to see where Niki was.

“You’re up early, Fundy!” She called out from where she was doing inventory on one of the tables, a smile on her face. Her smile dropped when she saw his worried eyes and registered his flicking tail, “Is something wrong?”

“Tee isn’t down here, is he?”

“No, I thought he was still asleep. Fundy?” Niki rose to her feet as Fundy’s ears dropped and his eyes locked with hers, worry filling him eyes.

“He’s not in his room.”

———

On the list of things Dream wasn’t really expecting, Fundy and Niki pounding on his door in the early hours of the morning was up there. He took one look at their faces and knew exactly what had happened.

“Tee’s missing.” Fundy blurted out, confirming Dream’s fears. He breathed out and pressed his head against the door frame, steeling himself for the discussion about to happen, “And we know where he went.”

“To confront the follower.” Dream cut in, Fundy not even reacting beyond a nod, “Shit. You two aren’t coming with us.”

“You need someone to make sure that Tee gets out and doesn’t go charging back in.” Niki said. Dream took one look at her and threw up his hands, already knowing that was a losing battle. He turned around and found that Sapnap and George were already up.

“Here.” Sapnap tossed him his sword and armor, knowing just how quick they needed to be. Dream wasted no time in getting armored up, the group of five leaving just shortly after.

———

Once upon a time, there was a family of four. They lived in a castle at the center of an empire and loved each other dearly. The youngest of the family was seen as the light of the empire, a honest and sweet soul. The eldest three were far crueler, seeking a great many things and uncaring of who was harmed in the process.

The youngest tempered those edges, brought out the kindness hidden within the other three, and was beloved for it by most, but not all. There was a part of the empire who saw the youngest as a weakness and as such sought to remove him from the family and free the eldest from his influence.

So one night, one who was considered a close friend of the family was tricked and deceived into thinking the youngest in danger. He spirited the youngest away and the group stole from the youngest both his voice and his memories and sold him to a greedy group.

These fools underestimated the depths of their love, of their rage. Once the friend realized that he had been tricked, he told the middle brother everything that he had been told and everything he had learned. The middle brother spared his once friend from death, but made him his eyes and ears and sent him to look out in the world for the youngest.

Those who schemed soon found themselves at the sword and their lives ended. But the damage had been done. The family of four was now only three.

———

Tee’s breaths were heavy as he stood on shaky legs. The sun was now above the horizon and he knew that Niki and Fundy would have discovered him leaving by now. They’d be on their way soon, to get Dream and stop him, but by the time they’d reach him, it would be too late. Someone would be dead.

His eyes never left the follower, in part because that would be a stupid thing to do, but also because his form was flickering. One moment, his skin would look like human skin, the next it looked like Dream’s. Tee had an idea why it was like that, but trying to confirm it would be a pain.

He lunged again, focusing on the disk hanging on a chord around the follower’s neck. Tee heard a scream of his name behind him, but ignored it as he had many times before. The follower’s attention was split for a second, but that was all he needed to grab the disk and yank it from his neck.

The instant the chord broke, the follower hit the ground, out cold. Tee stared down at him, chest heaving and sword feeling fifty times heavier, but he felt proud. Up until he was grabbed by his shoulders and spun around.

“What the hell were you thinking, Tee?!”

“Oh, thank Sea that you’re alright.” Niki and Dream’s voices seemed to meld together as Tee realized just how tired he was. He slumped into Niki’s arms, dropping his sword and wrapping his arms around her. She craned her head enough that she could press a kiss to his hair, soft words whispering from her lips.

Tee mumbled into her shoulder, only her gentle encouragements causing him to turn his head and lock eyes with Dream, “I didn’t want to be scared anymore.”

———

The follower was quietly placed in an out-of-the-way cell, the official word being that he finally wandered out of the area. Of course, there was no way to stop the rumors of the truth from escaping, not after a large portion of the town saw Dream dragging the follower’s unconscious body through the town.

Thankfully, the townsfolk were used to keeping secrets and simply added this one to the pile. As the summer gave way to fall and fall to winter, the follower still didn’t wake up. Tee kept the disk, something telling him that it was important. Of course, he hadn’t really mentioned it to anyone (except for Tubbo) in the first place and everyone had been too worried at the time to notice that he had it.

He had taken to holding the disk at night, just looking at it. Tubbo had identified it as a Mellohi disk, but Tee had yet to play it. It didn’t feel right to do so just yet. It was during one of those moments where he just stared at the disk that Fundy noticed it.

“Where’d you find that, Tee?” Tee’s head jerked up to look at Fundy, standing at the top of the stairs. He flushed and looked away, not willing to admit how long he’d had it. The canidaede laughed but didn’t push, knowing how much his privacy meant to him, “It’s just, I have a disk too, from my dad.”

Tee looked at the fox with wide eyes at that information. Fundy never liked to talk about his father, a pained look aways taking over whenever he tried to, “Yeah, much as I hate him sometimes, I still keep every gift from him.” Tee stared at him, a question in his gaze.

“I’m god-blooded. My father is Music, second son to Death and brother of War. You could say there are some issues there.”

“Eret said that Death had a third son. Is it true?” Tee asked, his motions hesitant. Fundy sighed, looking away and rubbing the back of his head.

“I grew up with my mom, not Music, so I don’t know much more then anyone else. Not all gods are good parents, not like Sea. Gods grow slower then us, so Music never really saw me as anything more then a kid. But… I do know that about eight years ago, something happened and he just stopped visiting. The disk is the last thing he sent me.” Fundy huffed out, making his way to his room. He came back a moment later, something in his hands.

“Here, it’s a Cat disk, so at least it’ll be different from your Mellohi. Don’t know where there is a jukebox that can play them is.” Tee stared at the disk, wide-eyed.

“Why are you giving this to me? Didn’t you say it was a gift from your dad?”

“Yeah, but… it doesn’t really mean anything to me. I think… I think that he just sent it to me to get rid off it without breaking it. Figure you’ll keep it safe anyway.” Tee carefully took the disk, staring for a moment. He turned and grabbed the Mellohi and it’s chord, untieing it and stringing the Cat next to it. He put it on and something in his chest settled. He gave Fundy a bright smile that the fox returned, a hand coming up to rest over the disks.

———

It was sunset when Tee brought up what had been bothering him, ever since Fundy gave Cat days ago.

“Do you think my family misses me?” Tubbo blinked at him for a moment, processing what he asked.

“Of course they probably do! You said that remember being scared right? So obviously you were kidnapped and your family’s probably been looking for you.” He stated, a firm look on his face. Tee shrugged, gazing at the sunset from their bench.

“I mean, if I’m god-blooded, shouldn’t my godly parent have found me by now if they cared about me?” Tubbo smacked him lightly on the shoulder and grabbed his hand, intent on dragging him somewhere.

“That’s it, I’m taking you to Bad. He can explain better then me.” Tubbo dragged Tee to the house Bad and Skeppy shared, not letting Tee squirm out of his grip. He pounded on the door three times before it was yanked open by Skeppy, blinking blearily at them.

“We need to talk to Bad about god-blooded stuff.” Skeppy shrugged and waved them in, wandering back upstairs.

“Skeppy? Who was- oh, hello you two!” Bad said, poking his head out from one of the doorways, “Did you need something?”

“Yeah! Tee has questions about god-blooded stuff.”

“Well come in here. I’m making muffins, if you want one.” The boys stopped and stared at the muffins, which covered almost every surface, “What questions do you have?”

“Uh, Tee was wondering why his godly parent never came for him when he was with, you know.”

“Oh! That’s probably because you have more then one!” Tee stared blankly, not understanding what he was saying, “Okay, so, Fundy is the son of Music, right? Since his only godly parent is Music, that means he only registers to Music. Now if his mom was, say, a daughter of Party, he’d have both Party and Music as godly parents.” Bad turned around, facing the boys now.

“This is where the connection weakens. His connection to Music would be weaker then if he was his only godly parent and his connection to Party even more so. The more godly parents in your bloodline, the weaker the connection gets, along with the general weakening from being farther descended. It’s likely that your parents are both god-blooded with several godly parents. In order for them to find you via godly parent, your parents would have to ask every single one of their godly parents, which is hard. So it’s more likely that they’re searching for you the hard way.”

Tee’s mouth made a ‘o’ as Tubbo turned to him with a satisfied look, “See? They do care about you!” Tee stuck his tongue out, making a rude gesture at him. He ignored Bad’s ‘Language!’ and glanced around the kitchen.

“Why did you make so many muffins?” Tee asked, looking at Bad. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, pulling the next batch out of the oven.

“I took another look at the follower today and still couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. Baking is easier to clean up then throwing knives. Although, I think I made too many.” The boys affixed him with a look that screamed, ‘no, really?’ and gestured to the muffin-covered kitchen.

———

As spring broke, the town’s quiet peace was broken once more. Tee was helping out in the bakery again, almost ready to head out to meet Tubbo when Sapnap slammed through the door.

“The caravan’s back and with a lot more people!” He exclaimed, Tee’s face paling as his words registered. Niki whirled around, face twisted in worry, and immediately began to shoo Tee upstairs, “It’s too late. They already know he’s in town, we can’t hide him. You have to get out of town, now.” The last sentence was directed at Tee.

He stared at Sapnap wide eyed for a moment before bursting into motion. He raced upstairs and grab the essentials, making sure he still had the disks, and darted back down. Sapnap, Niki, and Fundy sent him off with a warning to keep out of sight and away from town square. Unfortunately, Tee was never good at listening to instructions. He had to take a look at town square and his blood froze at the sight.

The leader of the caravan, a cruel man that had always enjoyed Tee’s pain, was holding a blade to Tubbo’s neck and snarling at Dream. Tee wasn’t even aware of what he was saying or stepping out from the shadows, but he knew the instant that Tubbo saw him.

His best friend’s eyes widened and a spark of panic entered them, but it was too late. Several members of the caravan had noticed him and a cry went up, one of them lunging for Tee. He threw him, stealing his sword from his hands at the same time, eyes never leaving the sword pressed to Tubbo’s neck.

If he had looked up, he would have seen how the caravan leader’s face paled at his actions. The only one to notice, however, was Dream and there was nothing he could do. He knew Tee was focused only on Tubbo and that he had a bad case of tunnel vision when it came to his best friend. Like he expected, Tee was soon over-powered and disarmed, a few scratches bleeding from his arms and one on his cheek.

———

For the first time in years, when Tapl woke up, he couldn’t feel War puppeting his body. For the first time since his horrible mistake, he could move his own limbs with no problem. Oh, he could still feel War in the back of his mind, ready to take over at a moment’s notice, but he was able to move by himself.

Pushing himself up, he found he was in what looked to be a cell, which made no sense. War never let him stay trapped for long. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered the last sight he saw, a familiar face with familiar eyes, older in a way that it shouldn’t be, but familiar none-the-less.

He lurched to his feet, finally able to place the feeling in his chest. It was the same one he felt every time the boy had hurt himself or gotten in trouble, a tried-and-true ‘Tommy Trouble’ detector. It’d been so long that he almost didn’t recognize it.

He slammed the door open, not caring about any damages he might have caused, and raced up the stairs, only the thought of Tommy driving him. He could feel War’s attention turning to him, but payed it little mind. The street was empty when he exited the building, but he could hear raised voices.

Tapl raced towards them, his War-blessed sword and armor appearing with a thought. He emerged into a town square, instantly focusing on the slumped over form of Tommy and the two men holding him. He felt rage bubble up in him as he recognized one of them. Tapl lunged.

———

Tee was shaking. He was staring up at his nightmare, at his monster in the dark, and couldn’t do anything. He was disarmed and restrained and no one could move because if they did, they’d kill Tubbo. He couldn’t prevent the tears from starting to drip from his eyes. He thought he was safe, he just wanted to be safe!

There was a scream and then the nightmare was gone. Tee blinked and he was sitting on his butt, staring up at the follower of War. Something about him was familiar, the same way the snow or music was. He looked down at Tee with dark eyes before placing down a jukebox and turning around to face the rest of the caravan.

Dream had taken his distraction as a chance to grab Tubbo and get him out of the way. The follower wasted no time and charged them, drawing their attention in no time. Tee paid them no mind, focused on the jukebox in front of him. Something was calling to him and he knew what he had to do.

———

Dream would admit, he hadn’t even thought that the caravan would come back after the first summer. He hadn’t thought that they would bide their time and wait for them to let their guard down. That’s why, when Eret told him about the approaching caravan, he hadn’t even thought that it was them until he had seen them in person and by then, it was too late. They already had Tubbo.

At the very least, Sapnap was able to get away without notice and warn Tee to get out. Of course, that just meant Tee would end up checking the town square and seeing that they had Tubbo and just losing it. He hadn’t been expecting the follower of war to wake up and fight beside them, but at that point, he was willing to take whatever help he could.

The panic in the caravan leader’s eyes was just icing on the cake, one he had been waiting for for a while now, “Stop him! Don’t let him -” the follower cut him off, slamming into him and sending him toppling. Dream glanced at Tee, who was just standing in front of a jukebox, staring.

“Tee! Get out of here!” he yelled, cutting down another of the caravaners. Tee didn’t even react to his words, instead pulling out his disks in a daze. He unstrung Cat and slowly put it into the jukebox. Dream was about to charge over there and drag him away when it started to play.

He’d heard Cat before, but not like this. It felt like there was something deeper hidden in the beats of the song. Whatever it was, the caravaners were doing everything they could to stop it from finishing. It felt like for every one of them he cut down, two more took their place. Slowly, they were being pushed back towards Tee.

As the final note of Cat rang out, Tee blinked and looked up, “Tee! Get out of here, now!” Dream took the chance to bark at him, ignoring how the follower snapped to look at him.

“I can’t. I gotta play Mellohi.” He shoved the other disk into the jukebox before Dream could stop him, the haunting melody of Mellohi echoing. Much like Cat, it felt like there was something hidden deeper in the song. Dream was just thankful that this song was shorter then Cat.

As the last tones of Mellohi began to play out, the caravan leader turned around and ran, the caravan following him without hesitation. Dream and the guards blinked in surprise, not expecting them to try and run.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Dream’s breath caught in his throat at that voice. It was monotone and so familiar. Once, he had challenged the owner of the voice and just barely lost, but it had allowed him and his friends to survive. Dream turned and looked upon War.

———

Tee- no, Tommy- blinked several times as his brother’s voice echoed through the square. He didn’t even look before running over to Tubbo and hugging him tightly. His best friend, the person who had given him a chance to remember, was okay.

He heard the rustling of fabric but didn’t move at all, even as Wilbur’s familiar song began to echo through the town. He and Tubbo just held onto each other tighter.

“Hey mate. How are you feeling?” his dad’s familiar voice came from in front of him and Tommy couldn’t resist looking up at him. He looked into kind, soft blue eyes and felt safe, really safe, for the first time in years, “Ah, like that. Who’s this?”

“This is Tubbo. He’s my best friend.” Tubbo’s head popped up, a bright grin on his face.

“Tee! Your voice! You have your voice back!” Tommy smiled back, happiness bubbling in his chest.

“M’ name’s Tommy, Tubbo! I got my memories back too!” Tubbo hugged tighter, a noise of pure happiness escaping him, “Tubbo, Tubbo, this is my dad, Philza! Philza, this is Tubbo, the clingiest bitch ever.” Tubbo looked back over his shoulder, not even trying to squirm out of Tommy’s grip.

“Hi, Mr. Philza!” he chirped. Tommy ignored Dadza’s grin and turned to look for his brothers. Wilbur was leaning against the jukebox, plucking out a tune on his guitar, and Techno was dealing with the caravaners.

“Oi, Wilbur! Leave the townsfolk alone! They’ve been real nice.” Wilbur grinned at him, but Dream and the rest were let go.

“Have they now?” Dadza mused, his wings rustling softly. Tommy nodded, finally letting go of Tubbo.

“Yeah! Dream came up with a plan to get me away from them and Niki and Fundy took care of me and Eret’s been helping me remember how to fight and I’ve felt so safe here, dad.” Dadza’s grin lost it’s sharp edge and his eyes softened at Tommy’s words. Tommy felt his grin growing even wider, squeezing Tubbo’s hand and get a squeeze in return. Everything would be okay now.

———

And so Death and Music and War went. In time, Death found a palace of ice in a land of snow and claimed it as home, a empire growing around it. And so they lived for many years, Music and War growing into their power. But one day, Death found another godling wandering the streets of the capital.

He was a small thing, skin and bones, but there was a fire in his eyes, not unlike the same fire that had drawn Death to Music and War. Maybe that’s why he stops and talks to him that day.

“Hey there mate. What’s your name?” Death knows what he expects, a domain or something. He doesn’t expect the quiet ‘dunno’ that the godling lets lose. He blinks, head cocking to the side, “You mean you don’t know your name kid? Well then, can’t just leave you out here to freeze.”

Death scooped the godling into his arms. He froze for a moment then burrowed his face into the fur collar of the cloak he was wearing. Death laughed softly and continued to the palace, where he introduced the godling to Music and War.

Here is a thing to know: all gods have a mortal name. They are not things to be shared with mortals, but neither are they all that special. They are simply a name that the god takes for themself. Death’s name is Philza, Music’s is Wilbur Soot and War chose Technoblade. The little godling that Death takes in only has a mortal name, Tommy Innit.

But that doesn’t matter, for little Tommy worms his way into the heart of anyone who gives him a chance. And so Death and Music and War become Philza and Wilbur and Techno become Dadza and Wilbie and Techie. And so the empire gains a heart of brilliant light that so many treasure. Until it all comes crashing down.

———

“So, wait. Tommy’s a godling and the rumored third child of Death? And Tapl is, or was, a close friend that got tricked into giving Tommy to the same group of people that have been kidnapping god-blooded? And they sealed away both his memories and voice in music disks that Tapl managed to steal when he realized that he was tricked? And you’ve been spending the last eight years looking for Tommy?” Fundy’s voice was growing higher and higher with every question and nod he received in answer.

He threw his hands up and asked, exasperated, “And you never thought to look at the town known for attracting the weird and lost?” Dead silence was his answer. The fox made a noise not dissimilar to his wild look-a-likes and stormed off.

“I’m just glad that we found you.” Phil admitted, his wing coming to curl up around Tommy’s shoulders. The godling snuggled into them, just as glad, “And we won’t have to worry about those thieves anymore, since Order, Chaos, and Balance are all hunting them down. Sea is being especially vicious.”

Tubbo beamed at the mention of his father and Tommy let out a maniacal laugh, having heard the stories about just how overprotective Sea could get. It wasn’t perfect and there were still many things left, still many loose ends, but Tommy was happy and with his family for the first time in eight years. He was allowed to be a kid.


End file.
